Floor-covering.



G. S. BIRD. FLOOR GOVERING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. so. 191s.

LLW, Patented Maf.9,1915.

in, f

GHARLES S. .BURR Oli' EAST WALPOLE, 'MSSACHUSETTS.

ancora-coyuntura.,

,Specification or Letterslatent.

Patented Mar. tl), ftlllb Application led rfarruary 30, ww. eral 'll'o.M?.

l ments in Hoor coverings generally and more particularly toimprovements in floor coverings treated with asphaltic or otherwaterproofing materials. 4

@ne object of the invention is to facilitate the manufacture offlorcoverings having a `backing of material to some extent water proof bythe use in said backing material of a constituent havinglthe quality ofbecoming comparatively hard or, so called, chilled, within a short timeof its application.

Another object of the invention is to so construct Hoor covering havinga waterproofing and a backing that said backing will not tend to e'ectthe softening of such waterproofing. 4 y

Still another object of the invention is to so construct floor coveringcomprising afbase coated or saturated with `asphaltic material andhaving abacking coating applied to said body in a fluid and preferablyheated condition that the asphalticmaterial shallnot be softenedmaterially by the'application of said backing.

@ther objects of the invention will appearl from the followingdescription.

rllhe invention consists in- Hoor covering comprising a base or body ofasphaltic material having a backing coating of wax.

rllhe invention also consists in floor covering hereinafter describedand claimed.

'llhedrawing illustrates the improved floor covering in sectional view,tliethiclr.- ness of the various layers or coatings theren of beingexaggerated.

Floor covering herein generally referred to includes any base or bodyformed from woven, granular or brous material having, after itsformation, a backing coating adapt ed to resist wear to: some extent andof a substantially waterproof nature.

ln the manufacture of oil cloth and some` moisture resisting material ispresent where-- by the back of said body or base isrendered less liableto wear and by which moisture 1s, to some extent, excluded from saidbody or base. After the application of such backing coating it hasheretofore been necessary to handle and store the material with extremecare by the assistance of expensive machinery to permit the backingcoating to become perfectly dry, the delay occasioned by such dryingoperation amounting to periods of many hours. By the use of the materialfor such backing coating Ythe expensive machinery may be dispensed withandthe delay-avoided as the new backing coating will become set orchilled within p omparatively few seconds of its applican ion.

lin carrying this invention' into practice ll take a body or base 5 offibrous material preferably of kpaper felt 'and saturate the same withasphaltic material. l then apply to one surface of such felt the coatingof paint 6 and after such coating becomes sufficiently dry ll printthereon a pattern coating 7 of paint considerably thicker than thecoating 6 whereby an upper wearing surface is provided. After thispattern or wearing coating 7 becomes dr'y ll apply to the back of the*pbase 5 the coating 8 of Montan wax so called.

\ Referring now to the floor covering more specifically mentioned above,it has been found that a very durable and satisfactory door covering maybe made .by taking a sheet or web of comparatively, thick felt, usuallymade of stock from which paper is made and having considerableelasticity by reason of its fibrous nature. Great diciculty has,however, been encountered in providing for the protection of this feltedfibrous base or body from moisture and it has been found necessary tocoat said base or preferably to saturate the same with moistureexcluding material and, in practice, ll have found asphalt or materialof an asphaltic nature suitable for this purpose. llt is foundldesirable to protect the door cov-y ering at the top surface from wearof the feet and at its under surface from wear against or sticking tothe Hoor oir-which the covering is placed. As the material of the bodyor base, at this stage, practically consists of'a large proportion ofasphaltic material carried by thembbrous sheet 1t is of course desirablethat any subsequent operation should not edect the undue softening ofthe asphaltic material while it is also lll) ' tively'smooth appearance.It is therefore preferred to apply the material in a ,condition renderedfluid by heat and to use materia-l which will set .or cool quickly and'will not thereafter become sticky andvthat the asphaltic material .doesnot have an opportunity to become soft. In carrying out this step inviny invention I .have found, after a series of experiments, that Waxpreferably of a hard and high melting nature can be used for thisbacking coating and I have found that Montan wax, a materialmanufactured from a particular kind yof coal, is effective as it doesnot retain heat to any material degree and when applied to the surfaceof the ibrous material as a thin coating at Aav temperature of about twohundred seventy fivefdegrees, it cools or hardens, at atmospherictemperature of 70 degrees, in a period of time so short as to bepractically negligible while its nature is such that it does not readilyflux With the asphalt. When cool this backing coating is not undulybrittle but lis tough and somewhat pliable and thereafter does notbecome sticky. In order tomakc this coating more ornamental it may becolored by the addition of suitable pigment.

I am aware that paraffin and similar waxes have been applied as coatingsto papers and I do not intend to claim such material.

Having thusjdescribed my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- Floor covering comprising an elastic fibrouswaterproofed base having a backing coating of hard Wontan wax into whichis received loose fibers of said waterproof material and constitutes ahard layer against which said elastic material may be compressed, and atop layer of paint applied directly to said elastic base and of athickness and hardness adapted to distribute an impact pressure thereonthroughout a considerable area of saidbase.

CHARLES S.' BIRD.

Witnesses MILLARD M. RINES, WALTER M. PAINE.

